Rock Star Down (The Psychic Registry) by William Leslie

married," he replied.
    And it all rang true
for Nathan, "Fair enough. Tell me about Jaqui's Hollywood plans."
    "Plans? She's going
to be a movie star. And I'll be there to help chronicle her rise to
superstardom."
    "And what about
Rock?" Nathan asked.
    The producer sighed
and Nathan felt the tremor of guilt, "Rock wasn't coming along for the
ride."
    "So she was
leaving him? Relocating to California?"
    "It wasn't a done
deal, mind you. But she had her head all but made up and we didn't think he'd
go for it— He's from around here, has his parents nearby. He's more traditional
than Jaqui— I understand and respect that."
    "Who else was in
on the plan?" Nathan asked.
    "Myself and
Natalie. Vanessa and Rachel, she's Jaqui's PA. Plus her divorce lawyer."
    No wonder Rock
found out. "Any dissent among
the inner circle?"
    "Vanessa liked
Rock. She thought Jaqui was wrong to divorce him. Again, can't say I disagreed.
But if Jaqui were to stay – provided Rock was still with us – then she'd be
making babies for the next decade instead of making movies. And that wasn't
going to be enough for Jaqui."
    "And what about
you?" Nathan asked.
    "Jaqui having a
kid would be solid ratings, pal."
    "But having a
bunch of kids, being a housewife?"
    Silverman shrugged, "People
get bored, they change the channel. Either way, Jaqui's World doesn't
last forever."
    "So you didn't
voice your personal reservations to Jaqui?" Nathan asked.
    "Listen, Miller.
Jaqui doesn't care what some middle-age mensch thinks of her personal life. My
job is to make her look good, to make her look interesting. She tells me what
she's doing with her life and I come up with ways to tell it on TV."
    "Rock's death is
pretty interesting. Plus Jaqui doesn't lose any fans for divorcing a
sympathetic husband," Nathan said.
    Silverman shook his
head, disgusted, "I'd have nothing to do with such a thing! And if
I knew anything at all— You know, you people can be pretty smug, judging me! But
I've got my family to think about, a business of my own, a future to make. Rock
was a good man, and I would have called him a friend if it weren't for the fact
that I knew his wife meant to betray him and I was too busy planning out how to
get it on video!"
    The guilt, the
self-loathing. The anger and grief. It was enveloping him, pulling him under. "Maybe
you would've had a change of heart?" Nathan offered.
    But Silverman shook
his head, "No, I was going to screw that man on television. See, while I
figured that Jaqui was schtupping some asshole in LA, that wasn't going to be
part of the show. But poor Rock and Vanessa? They wouldn't be so lucky."
    "Rock and Vanessa
were having an affair? You're sure?" Nathan asked.
    "Sure I'm sure.
Vanessa loved Rock. That poor girl is devastated, but it's all bottled
up right now," Silverman lamented.
    "Who else knew
about the affair?" Nathan asked.
    "No one, far as I
know."
    "Do you think
Vanessa could have killed Rock?"
    Silverman shrugged, "I
don't know. I hope not, I really do. But love makes people crazy
sometimes."
    "Maybe Rock was
calling it off, looking to reconcile with Jaqui? Vanessa stood to lose a lot if
the relationship with Rock fell through."
    Silverman nodded, "I
know."
    They both thought it
over, independently, and together, in Nathan's case.
    Nathan asked, "Anything
else?"
    Silverman shook his
head, then added, "You go easy on Vanessa."
    "I can't make any
promises," Nathan replied. "But if she didn't kill Rock…"
    "Maybe people don't
need to know about her indiscretions," Silverman finished.
    Nathan shrugged.
Secrets had a way of coming out, usually at the worst possible moment for the
ones holding them. "That might not be possible."
    Silverman let out a
deep sigh of resignation, "Can't say I want to hear that. But justice for
Rock is what matters most. The rest of us can fend for ourselves."
    Nathan agreed, but
sometimes justice left a bit of wiggle room. He closed down his read on
Silverman, then he extended his hand and the producer